Chapter 27 Embroidered Shoes, Money for Clothes, and the Slaughter of a Small Sheep
After Jinniang finished speaking, she covered her mouth, quickly stuffed the money into her waistband, took the money bag off and put it into her basket, covering it with a steelyard so that not a single piece of fabric was exposed.
After all, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow; if she lost this money, she would be heartbroken.
Seeing how careful she was, Lu Qiong grabbed her hand and burst into laughter, almost unable to straighten up. After recovering, she planned to buy some everyday items.
"I'm going to stroll around town later and buy some household items. Would you like to come with me?"
Jinniang nodded, packed up her stall, and patted her chest, saying she wanted to go too.
If you make a lot of money, you have to spend it.
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qixi Festival, which is only four or five days away. As a result, there are more peddlers selling Qixi Festival items on the streets.
The peddler, shaking his rattle-drum, showed Lu Qiong a box of rouge, showering her with compliments and praising her beauty, even going so far as to say she was stunningly beautiful. Lu Qiong was amused, shook her head, and pulled Jin Niang along as they continued walking.
Before they had gone far, they heard him using the same words to praise another young lady. It was all a routine! If he were born in later generations, he might be a master at live-streaming e-commerce.
The remaining stalls also displayed items like Mohele (a type of pastry), lanterns, and Qiaoguo (a type of pastry)... all things related to the Qiqiao Festival, nothing special.
Most of the Mohele figures are made of clay and wood. They depict children sitting and laughing, playing with each other, or lying on the ground. They all look full of childlike innocence, and the craftsmanship of the clay figurines makes these Mohele figures lifelike.
Lu Qiong took a fancy to a clay doll holding a rattle drum; its round face was particularly endearing. "How much does this cost?"
Clay Figure Zhang placed the newly made Mohele on the red lacquered wooden frame. Before wiping the dry mud off his hands, he looked up and replied, "A single clay figure is fifteen coins, a pair is forty coins, and if you buy a pair and a single one, it's fifty coins."
It wasn't expensive, and the craftsmanship was worth it, so Lu Qiong readily paid the money, planning to give Lu Xuan a surprise later.
Jinniang was even more discreet; she not only bought two Mohele (a type of snack), but also bought Qiaoguo (a type of pastry) and Sutang (a type of sweet candy) elsewhere in advance, filling a whole basket, only missing the lantern.
She had carefully calculated every penny, ensuring she wouldn't spend more than necessary. According to Jinniang, prices would only increase in a couple of days, so it was better to buy everything now and not worry about not being able to buy it later.
Lu Qiong agreed, adding a few more words in agreement.
As she walked to the clothing store, Lu Qiong remembered that the fabric she usually wore was not breathable, and she would sweat after staying in the kitchen for a long time, which made her uncomfortable all day. She thought she might as well take this opportunity to buy some thin clothes.
Jinniang also wanted to buy some clothes for Shuangjie, so she took her along. On the way, she complained, "Children of six or seven years old grow so fast. The clothes I made last year are too short this year. If this continues, I'll have to go and buy some fabric to sew them up."
Lu Qiong felt the same way. Lu Xuan's clothes were patched and mended by her year after year. It was really helpless, after all, the child's height was growing too fast and there was no money to keep buying new clothes.
Fortunately, she changed out of those tattered clothes as soon as she arrived in Bianjing; otherwise, people might have accused her of abusing her sister.
A ready-made garment in a clothing shop usually costs 300 coins, and if the material is of very good quality, the price can rise to several strings of cash, but Lu Qiong's income is more than that in half a month.
However, she was particular about practicality when buying clothes, and she chose clothes with short and narrow hems that were easy to work with. Such ready-made clothes could usually be bought for around three hundred coins, so she casually picked out a pale yellow straight-sleeved shirt and a light purple thin cardigan.
This clothing store also sells shoes, so they picked out a pair of light blue embroidered shoes for Lu Xuan. The color was refreshing and pretty.
Lu Qiong was often glad that foot binding was not yet prevalent in the Song Dynasty at that time, and small shoes were rare. Ordinary straw sandals, thin shoes, and embroidered shoes were more popular.
Seeing that they bought a lot, the shopkeeper smiled and circled around them, patiently wrapping up their clothes himself.
Jinniang held it in her hand, feeling the smooth fabric, and then thought that the weather would turn cold in a few months: "Qiong'er, do you have any winter clothes? When it gets cold, charcoal in Bianjing will cost tens of coins per catty. It's not sustainable to burn it all day long."
"Not yet, we'll see after the autumn harvest." In Lu Qiong's opinion, it was still early. In previous years, it was only October when it got coldest in Shangyuan Village, and people could get through it by squatting at home and warming themselves by the stove.
Jinniang was so anxious upon hearing her words that she wanted to stomp her feet. She earnestly advised, "We still need to find someone to buy some reed fluff as soon as possible, otherwise the price of reed fluff will be as high as that of ready-made clothes."
She knew all too well how some merchants swindled people out of their money. Goods that normally cost ten coins would increase in price several times over if there were many buyers; if grain prices rose like that...
Jinniang didn't dare to think about the rest.
Although their winter clothes were mostly filled with reeds and silk floss, which weren't very warm, they were still passable items to keep warm. After all, some couldn't even afford reeds, and quite a few froze or starved to death when the weather got cold.
Before Lu Qiong could respond, the shopkeeper standing to the side smiled calmly: "The two young ladies might as well take a look at the cotton-padded clothes. The cotton used comes from the frontier and is warmer than any kind of reed fluff."
As she spoke, she lifted the curtain by the door and took out a thick cotton coat from the inner room. It felt very soft to the touch, not as soft as the ones in later generations, but it was the best cotton coat Lu Qiong had seen in recent years.
The shopkeeper then revealed the price, which turned out to be more than one string of cash, more than Lu Qiong had spent before.
However, it's understandable, since cotton is not widely grown and is currently only found in the border regions. If it weren't for the recent close trade ties with the border regions, which have allowed more cotton to enter the Central Plains, the price of these cotton-padded clothes would be even higher.
But Lu Qiong was also reluctant to spend a string of cash to buy a cotton-padded coat, let alone Jin Niang. After exchanging glances, the two shook their heads and left.
Because Lu Qiong still needed to check on the shop, Jin Niang took the things and went back first. She rested and walked along the way, constantly fighting back, and panting heavily until she reached the alley entrance.
Seeing Shuangjie'er's smile, she regained some strength and took out the newly bought candy, placing it in Shuangjie'er's palm: "This is candy. In a few days, Mother will take you to see the lanterns."
Shuang'er's eyes lit up. She held the small piece of candy in her palm, eagerly anticipating the Qixi Festival. She then ate the candy, licking her palm with lingering satisfaction: "Delicious!"
After talking to her about the Qixi Festival, Jinniang carried her things into the house.
The basket of things looked like a lot, but it only cost about two hundred coins. Adding Lu Xuan's clothes, it came to more than four hundred coins. Jin Niang planned to hide the remaining half tael of silver.
She took out a palm-sized wooden box from under the bed. It was locked from the outside. When she opened it, she found some loose silver, small hairpins, rings, and quite a few copper coins inside.
This was all money she had painstakingly saved up over the past six months in Bianjing. A quick glance revealed it was only a little over two taels of silver, not including jewelry. Last time, Shuang'er's illness cost half a string of cash, making Jinniang truly realize how important money was... She needed to earn even more.
After hiding the money, Jinniang's mood quickly changed, and she excitedly ran to wash the newly bought mutton. Although it was only a little over half a jin, it was real mutton, not tofu that was called "Little Slaughter Sheep".
She planned to stew a small pot of mutton, marinate the rest with pepper, soy sauce, salt, and flour, and then stir-fry it until it was fragrant and crispy! As she thought about it, she cut the mutton into chunks, so that she could make her husband happy when he came back. After all, the family hadn't eaten mutton for a long time, and this would be a good way to nourish him.
After parting ways with Jinniang, Lu Qiong crossed the state bridge alone and saw that the soup noodle shop next door had been renovated.
From a distance, the shop looked brighter and more spacious than before, with brand-new tables and chairs already moved in, the wood gleaming with a glossy sheen. However, the shop was rather deserted, with only the curtain at the back door drawn, revealing glimpses of people working diligently.
This must be the Third Sister.
Even without making a specific inquiry, Lu Qiong could hear people talking about this Third Sister in her own shop. They said she was good-looking, had excellent skills, and had many customers, praising her to the skies. Even Lu Qiong was curious about this Third Sister's skills.
However, there is something more urgent right now. This is the first time she has been away from Lu Ji, and she doesn't know if Sister Yang and the others can manage.
Lu Qiong glanced back at the plaque above the door one last time before turning and walking into Lu's Restaurant.
First, she saw Sister Yang diligently scooping noodles, then she saw Lu Xuan chatting happily with customers. Seeing them like this, she knew everything was alright, and she could finally relax.
"Sister, sister!"
Lu Xuan soon caught Lu Qiong's gaze, her eyes instantly brightening as if she had seen someone she had been longing for. She abandoned the other diners and ran to Lu Qiong's side, telling her everything about how she had entertained the diners and how she had broken the ice.
Hearing this, Lu Qiong couldn't help but laugh and teased her, "I haven't seen you all morning, and you've turned into a little bird, chirping non-stop."
Normally, Lu Xuan would definitely argue with her, but today was different, so she decided to give in to her older sister.
After chatting, Lu Qiong went to peek through the back door of the ice storage area. Apart from the ice that had been knocked down that day, the remaining ice blocks were placed in buckets and covered with dry grass as before.
Lifting the wooden lid, a blast of cold air hit her, making her shiver. She counted three large chunks of ice.
Lu Xuan followed closely behind her, stretching out her fingers to count the ice used today: "After you left, Sister Yang and I broke off half a block of ice, enough to make forty servings of thirst water. But cold dumplings sold better, so Sister Yang and I made so many dumplings today, we're exhausted."
The way she looked with her head down and sighing was truly heartbreaking, but Lu Qiong was completely charmed by it. She patted her head and then punched her shoulder, smiling as she said, "You've really worked hard. To reward Xuan'er, I just bought her a new pair of shoes with flowers on them."
Upon hearing about the new shoes, Lu Xuan's worried face quickly turned into a happy one. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't hide the upturn of her lips as she hurriedly asked where the new shoes were.
Lu Qiong sighed somewhat helplessly, but first she had to calm the hopping little rabbit down before taking out the exquisite embroidered shoes under the expectant gaze of the girl. The bottom was a light moon white, the toes were slightly upturned, and the upper was embroidered with twin lotus flowers, the pink and white intertwined with the green, which was very beautiful.
Lu Xuan opened her hand, carefully took the shoe, and then gently touched the beads inlaid at the top of the shoe, afraid that if she touched it too hard, the shoe would break.
She used to wear straw sandals, but later switched to hemp shoes made of linen, which were more durable than straw sandals, but her feet would feel uncomfortable after wearing them for a long time. However, a few years ago, her older sister made her a pair of cloth shoes out of coarse cloth, which were very comfortable to wear.
Not to mention these expensive-looking embroidered shoes, they must be even more comfortable.
Lu Xuan quickly tried on the shoes. The soft silk felt comfortable against her instep. They were a little big, but that didn't matter, since she was still growing and they would fit her better after wearing them for a while.
Unable to hide her smile, she paced back and forth in the narrow space by the back door, the beads on her shoes swaying gently.
Seeing that she liked it, Lu Qiong was also happy and leaned against the wall with a gratified look on her face.
After seeing off the last customer at noon, Lu Qiong took out a small piece of silver from the cash register. This was Yang Jie'er's reward, after all, she had been working for several hours straight today.
Sister Yang was no longer as frightened as before. She smiled and accepted the money. Suddenly, she exclaimed "Hey!" and took out a purse from the drawer next to her: "This was dropped by a customer today, and no one has come back to claim it yet."
A silver-gray purse?
It looked somewhat familiar, but Lu Qiong couldn't quite place it, so she casually put it into the cash box next to the account book.
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Author's Note: [Get Rich!] Welcome the God of Wealth!!! [Sprinkling Flowers]
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